Get Involved

You can help Rising Hope, Inc. continue its highly successful program in three important ways:

Teach–We’re looking for volunteers who are qualified to teach college-level courses to prison inmates. Generally, that means we’re looking for people with a Masters degree or higher. Representative degrees include, M.A.; M.S.; M.Div.; M.S.W.; Ph.D.; and Ed.D. If you’re capable of teaching one of our courses or a related course, we’d love to hear from you.

Donate–We need benefactors who can donate money to buy textbooks and materials for our programs. Since we have no paid staff, our program is very cost effective. We can provide a year of college-level education for about $300-400 per student. It costs us about $600 per student to open a new branch at another prison. Our biggest expense is for textbooks, reference books, videos, transparencies, computers, office supplies and postage. Rising Hope, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and contributions are tax deductible. You can send a check to the address below under “Contact Us,” or you can use this button to donate using a credit card or a PayPal account:

Collaborate–You can collaborate in one of two areas:

Inside the prison—

Become a Program Coordinator. Be the civilian liaison for one of our branches at a prison. Set schedules, be the liaison between the program and the prison administration, recruit volunteers, plan graduation ceremonies, order textbooks, etc. Only a college degree is necessary.

Be a mentor, supervising study sessions and helping students.

Outside the prison—

Become a member of our Board of Directors or our Advisory Board.

Arrange a gathering at your place of worship or community organization where a Rising Hope alumnus can share his experiences with Rising Hope and its impact on his life.

If you’d like to volunteer your time as one of our instructors or in another role, please call Susan Ulrich at Rising Hope (914) 276-7848, or send her an email at risinghopeinc@gmail.com

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your neighbor? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.